There is no secret to the importance of wayfinding signage. The name is self-explanatory: they are signs that help people easily find their way around.
Most companies have custom orientation signs installed inside or outside their business premises, but often these are not correctly optimized to give the best results.
This article gives you some elements to consider to make business wayfinding signs more effective.
Why do you need wayfinding signage for your business?
According to a FedEx consumer survey, eight out of 10 people enter a store for the first time because the store sign caught their attention.
This shows how crucial wayfinding signs are for any business.
An effective wayfinding sign should give visitors an accurate and precise answer to these three questions instantly:
- Where am I?
- Where am I headed?
- How do I get to my destination or how do I get from point X to Y?
However, wayfinding signage offers benefits far beyond what has been said. Here are a few advantages:
1. Quality staff and customer experience
Your loyal and potential buyers are not your only asset for generating money. Efficient and satisfied employees also play an important role in sales and the growth of your business. So it’s in your company’s best interest to have productive and fulfilled employees.
Here’s how orientation signs help you have effective employees and satisfied customers.
Many of today’s customers place more importance on the buying experience than the product itself. They value companies that place a high value on customer service and friendliness. And a study has proven that customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable than companies that aren’t.
By installing signs in the store, you ensure that customers will move comfortably to, from, and around the space. This eliminates stress and hassle, making it an overall pleasant experience.
Wayfinding signage also benefits your employees as well as your customers. It helps them move around the store with ease. More importantly, employees can focus on more essential tasks since they won’t have to constantly help your store visitors find their way around.
2. Great return on investment
The great advantage of wayfinding signage is that it works 24/7. That helps you advertise your business day after day at an affordable price.
Wayfinding signs not only serve as guides, but they are also an excellent brand promoter, provided you use the appropriate mix of style, font, color, and logo.
They will engage customers’ attention, spark their interest and enhance your business image.
In addition, they reinforce your other marketing efforts, both online and offline, creating a dynamic synergy to boost your sales and grow your business.
Finally, wayfinding signage proves to be a fantastic and affordable investment for future eventualities of your business such as an expansion, renovation, merger, etc.
3 things to consider when designing your signage
1. Contrast
As a rule of thumb, things with high contrast have more exposure and stand out better. Therefore, to make your signage easy to read and understandable, opt for high-contrast colors.
The simplest and most common example is a combination of black and white. An experienced sign manufacturer can provide you with high-contrast color combinations that will blend well with your corporate image.
Keep in mind, however, that too many colors do not do any good. Even if you like colors, always consider the advice of an expert in color matching.
If you want something of quality, you can order from seasoned manufacturers of 3D signage in Dubai or wherever you are.
2. Size
With wayfinding signage, the larger the board, the easier it is for visitors to find the right direction. The size of directional signage is proportional to its visibility.
Large signs are easy to read from a distance and stand out from everything around them. Moreover, when visitors look for orientation signs, it means they don’t know the surroundings and don’t know where to look or where to go. For your directional signage to be effective, you need to aim for the largest size possible.
3. Theme
Most directional signs are not just for the exterior of your building.
When a potential customer visits your facility, wayfinding signage helps ensure that they do not get lost and feel irritated. The signs also provide information that reinforces your branding in the eyes of customers and passersby.
Office entrance signs, door signs, wall graphics, and many other interior signs can help customers find their way around your building. But you need to make sure that all of your company’s interior and exterior signs follow the same theme to maintain consistent decor.
Another way to help your potential customers find their way when looking for you or looking for a point of your business is to invest in digital map design. Effective wayfinding signage design for businesses involves many different factors. However, these are the basics you need to design signage that helps your company build a better customer relationship and achieve its business goals.